Following in the footsteps of Al Gore, French photographer, ecologist and journalist Yann Arthus-Bertrand released his documentary film ‘Home’ simultaneously in 134 countries on World Environment Day (5 June).

The documentary takes a look at the catastrophic evolution of the Earth’s climate, sounding the alarm about the urgency of averting further depletion of natural resources and stressing the need to stop irresponsible human activity.

In France alone, the film – broadcast on public TV channel France 2, attracted 8.3 million viewers and triggered an unprecedented buzz.

Produced by Luc Besson, ‘Home’ was funded by François-Henri Pinault, the owner of the global luxury group PPR, which spent 12 million euros.

The documentary took more than two-and-a-half years to film, by helicopter in over 50 countries, and resulted in 500 hours of footage, reduced to two hours for cinema and 90 minutes for television. The film is copyright-free.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand, called YAB by his friends, is becoming an influential figure in France and abroad, in the tradition of world-renowned ecologist and filmmaker Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who passed away in 1997.